Today’s Psalms are full of praise! Each one begins with a call to exalt God and give him the praise he is due. Take a look at how Psalms 92 – 97 each begin with another reason to praise God:

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.” Psalm 92:1-3

“The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.” Psalm 93:1-2

“The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?”  Psalm 94:1-2

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great king above all gods.” Psalm 95:1-3

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” Psalm 96:1-2

“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” Psalm 97:1-2

The Bible tells us that all of creation obeys and praises God, but only people need to be reminded to do it. These Psalms give us reasons, language, and ways to give God the praise he is due.

Practice Meditation

One way to learn how to praise God is to meditate on the words of a Psalm. Try selecting one of the passages in the list above and writing it out by hand. You’ll be amazed at how the words come alive when you write them out in your own handwriting.  Next, read the words aloud several times, emphasizing different parts of them each time. Choose a word or phrase that stands out to you and think about what it means.

Why were you drawn to that particular part of the verse?

The answer to that question probably points to how you can apply the verse to your life. Talk to the Lord about what you observed as you meditated. Tell him how these truths change or enhance your understanding of who he is, then give thanks to the Lord for what you have learned by thinking more deeply about his word today.

The Songs and Prayers of Jesus

Jesus probably memorized the Book of Psalms as he heard them recited over and over at the synagogue and in his home. He also studied them with the other children at synagogue school and read them for himself until he knew them by heart. If the Psalms meant that much to Jesus, we can certainly take time to make them part of our daily worship.

Last week I mentioned that reading a chapter a day of Proverbs enables us to read the whole book each month. If we read five Psalms each day, we can read all of Psalms in a month, too.

Sometime ago Rev. Tim Keller decided to read through the Psalms in one month and it was such a rich experience that he has continued to do it for over twenty years. He and his wife Kathy read them together and have written a book about their experiences called The Songs of Jesus.

Keller says, “There are other prayers in the Bible but no other place where you have an entire course of theology in prayer form, and no other place where you have every possible heart condition represented, along with the way to process that situation before God.”

A Daily Feast

The Psalms are a daily feast of prayers, promises, and praises that address every possible situation in life. Read them regularly to get the benefit! They will teach you how to pray and worship.

“Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him all the earth. Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Psalm 96:7-10